Evening star. [volume], May 07, 1937, Page A-10, Image 10

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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THE EVENING STAR
With Sunday Morning Edition.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
FRIDAY____May 7, 1937
THEODORE W. NOYES.Editor
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Helium or Hydrogen?
The Hindenburg disaster at Lakehurst
yesterday was due to the use of hydro
gen as the levitation agency. Had the
great airship been filled with helium It
would not have burst into flame. Im
mediately the question occurs: Why
was not the safer gas used. The answer
Is explicit: Helium is produced only in
this country and there is on the statute
books a law, approved on the 3d of
March. 1925, which forbids the sale of
this material to any foreign consumer,
government or private, save by specific
approval of the President and the Sec
retaries of War. the Navy and the In
terior. The domestic production of helium
is greater than the consumption and
there is a surplus, which is wasted, yet
under the law no market can be found
for it outside of the United States, unless
the prohibition is lifted by executive
action.
Helium has less lifting power than
hydrogen, by from twelve to sixteen per
cent. Its use, therefore, entails a dif
ference in the structure and w;eight of
the airship. A dirigible floated by means
of hydrogen may therefore be designed
for a larger capacity of passenger and .
freight than one that is sustained aloft
by helium. That differential in carrying
capacity is to be reckoned against the
greater danger of disaster involved in
the use of hydrogen.
At present there is no answer to the
question which immediately arose when
the news of the Lakehurst horror was
received as to the cause of the explosion
and fire. Various theories have been
advanced, but they are only speculative.
it is suggested that the atmospheric
conditions were such as to produce static
electricity within the airship which,
causing a spark at some point where a
gas leakage had occurred, set off an ex
plosion in one of the balloonets within
which the hydrogen was confined. This
at present is believed to be more likely
than the careless striking of a match by
a smoker outside of the space reserved
for users of tobacco. There was no flash
of lightning at the time. The possi
bility of an act of sabotage from the
ground is not entertained. The airship's
operators discount the hypothesis of a
spark from a motor igniting the gas.
The mystery remains, with the prob
ability that the peculiar conditions of
the atmosphere set up an electric re
action, with the resultant detonation.
This shocking catastrophe may cause
a movement for the modification or re
peal of the law which forbids the sale
of helium from the American source,
for use in peace-time aviation, except by
special dispensation. A proposal to that
effect has already been made. It will
doubtless be fully debated before action is
taken. If there were not so much talk
of possible general war in Europe there
would probably be little question of the
enactment of a repeal. But present con
ditions are such as to make it question
able whether the United States should
open its helium market for the use of
European war agencies.
Litigation as a method of publicity is
a phase of jurisprudence that the U. S.
Supreme Court may yet have to consider.
Very few radio announcers mention
divorce news in a minor key to indicate
unconquerable grief.
Base ball players are in the market as
human assets, but none of them crosses
the river on floating ice in order to
escape new owners who are dogging
their steps with pay envelopes.
Patience.
Senator Joseph C. O'Mahoney, once
in his youth a newspaper man, is pos
sessed of a philosophic instinct. In his
recent speech on the proposed “reorgani
sation" of the Federal judiciary, he said:
' Patience will pay us dividends.” The
thought is worthy of consideration, both
in relation to President Roosevelt's plan
to control the Supreme Court and in rela
tion to life in general and all its many
problems.
Of course, the pace of progress in the
twentieth century has been terrific.
Equally true is the fact that the tre
mendous acceleration of the tempo of
existence since 1900 has advantaged mil
lions of people. Time has been brought
within the power of men to govern as
never before; space has been negotiated
by improved facilities of communication
and transportation far beyond the
dreams of the most ardent prophets of
antiquity. Modern nations have been
correlated within themselves and in their
association with each other. The entire
planet has been drawn together into a
single neighborhood; its human inhabit
ants consult a single clock.
And much of this marvelous advance
ment has been accomplished by ‘‘stepping
on the gas." Mankind has ceased to
march. Instead it pfunges recklessly on
ward into roads as yet uncharted. The
age which commits the^estlny of multi
tudes into the hands of adventurers like
Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler is one which
is dedicated to speed. It wants to “go
places” quickly. But, possibly because
it is so rife with nervous energy, it visions
its objectives dimly. Even its hope for
Utopia is a hazy affair. The American
radicals who hurried to Moscow after the
Bolshevik revolution in 1917 “beat it”
back to New York as fast as they could
travel. Some of them learned caution
and patience by bitter experience.
For Senator O'Mahoney, however, no
such ordeal is necessary. Skilled in
watching the passing show, he under
stands that there are occasions when it
is wise to use the brake. His rational
and constructive attitude has precedent
in the judgment of St. Augustine that:
“By their patience and perseverance
God's children are truly known from
hypocrites.”
Baldwin's Valedictory.
Choosing the approach of the corona
tion and coincident industrial strife as
the occasion. Prime Minister Baldwin
has delivered his valedictory in the House
of Commons. He will leave Downing
Street at the end of May. The leitmotif
of the farewell address is an appeal for
labor peace, in drder that the eyes of the
world, as they turn toward Westminster
Abbey next week, may not discern a
Britain plunged in civic turmoil. Mr.
Baldwin has in mind not only the bus
men's strike which still holds London in
its grip, with prospect of involving other
systems of urban transportation. He is
thinking of the even more menacing sit
uation which may shortly produce a
Nation-wide walkout in the coal mines.
Both moment and manner of the
Prime Minister's plea reflect the gravity
of conditions that may dim the glamour
of the coronation. Recalling British
success in weathering storms of the past
six years without dislocation of capital
labor relations, he warmly acclaims the
principle of collective bargaining. The
Tory chieftain has no hesitation in de
claring there is no alternative to it "ex
cept anarchy.” Emphasizing that dic
tatorships are all too eager to brand
democracy as “decadent" whenever labor
conflict runs wild, Mr. Baldwin in words
of simple eloquence calls upon King
George's people to prove afresh that
apostles of totalitarianism are wrong in
considering self-governing communities
incapable of surmounting economic
vicissitudes. "I appeal to that handful
of men with whom rests peace or war,"
he said, "to make the best present to
the nation that could be given at this
moment, to do the one thing that would
rejoice the hearts of all people who love
this country; that is, to rend and dissi
pate the dark cloud which is gathered
over us and show the world that the
British democracy, at least, can still
practice the arts of peace in a world of
strife.”
The danger of conflict is not yet as
acute as that of 1926, when the Prime
Minister stood in the same place, in a
vain attempt to avert a general strike,
but the "dark cloud’’ at which he hinted
on Wednesday is steadily becoming more
ominous. In pleading for action to pre
vent a storm, Mr. Baldwin indulged in
thoughts which have application far
beyond British shores. ‘‘You will find
in our modern civilization,” he pointed
out, “that just as war .has changed from
being a struggle between professional
armies, with civilians comparatively un
intvrested in it. so the weapons of in
dustrial warfare have changed from
arms that affect comparatively small lo
calized bodies into weapons that affect
directly those who have no concern what
ever with the issue except perhaps nat
ural sympathy with their own class.”
Under such circumstances, the Prime
Minister urges “that the one thing we
must pray for, not only in our states
men, but also in trade union leaders
and masters, is wisdom.” That is an
admonition which could, with complete
appropriateness, be uttered from high
places in America at this acrimonious
hour.
Germany will assert a wonderful power
in w'orld affairs if Doctor Hugo Eckener
can gain recognition as the one man
living who can successfully construct and
operate a lighter than air machine.
Neighboring communities are voting
against freedom of the wine press with
an emphasis that indicates toleration of
unrestrained speech so long as the line
is drawn at bibulous Incoherence.
The old ship of state is not expected
to list dangerously because of a budget
that could not be made to stay balanced.
Anodyne for Sorrow.
The story of the destruction of the air
ship Hindenburg is so dramatic, so com
pelling in its appeal to the imagina
tion, that it stirs a dynamic reaction in
every human heart. Morever, it is
documented as few disasters of the past
have been. It was chronicled and
recorded as it happened, and therefore
is comprehended and understood by all
who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
The horror of it is burnt into the mem
ory of millions.
Spectators at Lakehurst wept as the
beautiful cruiser of the skies collapsed
in flames. They trembled with frustra
tion at the fate which prevented the
rescue of fellow-creatures trapped in the
holocaust. But likewise they felt a
natural grief for the failure of a noble
enterprise of science—it hurt the soul
to stand helplessly by the while a brave
dream met unmerited defeat.
Yet mankind dare not be discouraged
by such accidents. Sanity prompts a
faith which cannot falter. The lives
lost certainly could ill be spared, the
Zeppelin itself represented labor too
precious to be wasted. But it should
not be forgotten that hundreds of pas
sengers have crossed the seas safely in
similar craft. Nor ought the fact that
other means of transportation—automo-’
biles, most fiotably—are equally hazard
ous. It seems inevitable that there
should be some element of peril in every
method of travel Panic fright therefore J
is not justified as a result of any single
mishap, however horrible.
A further word, perhaps, may be said
with regard to the psychological sig
nificance of yesterday’s catastrophe. The
primitive peoples of remote antiquity
believed that a phoenix rose from the
ashes of hopes destroyed, and that
philosophy probably was not altogether
unreasonable. It may be counted a gain
for civilization if Germany and the
United States are linked in a bond of
suffering and sympathy. Ties sealed with
tears should be durable. In such a
thought there may be an anodyne for
current sorrow.
Abattoirs and Possibilities.
In his statement yesterday again call
ing attention to the “monstrous mis
take” and the “effrontery of this attempt
to convert the northeast gateway of the
city into a stock yards,” Secretary Ickes
suggests that "every thoughtful citizen
of Washington, every property owner
who has any sense of realty values, every
business man and shopkeeper” should
acquaint himself with some of the possi
bilities in connection with an abattoir
or slaughter house within the limits of
the District of Columbia.
Some of these possibilities are outlined
in a communication to Secretary Ickes
from Frederick H. Walton; an expert on
abattoirs and slaughter houses. The let
ter is not pleasant reading. Some of the
possibilities outlined therein are not con
ducive to dinner table conversation. But
the letter manifestly deals with matters
which must be studied carefully in con
nection with the threatened authoriza
tion of a permanent abattoir in the
Nation's Capital.
Every organization which has taken a
part in development of Washington as
the Federal City should be represented
at the hearing on the King bill next
Tuesday and should be prepared to work
in behalf of the passage, immediately,
of that necessary measure.
The professional caricaturist makes lit
tle headway in reducing presidential fea
tures to grotesque disproportion. Since
his early days in the Nation’s Capital
Franklin Roosevelt has maintained an
unimpeachable reputation as a man of
handsome personality with tactful grace
in breaking any bad news as gently as
possible.
While machinery is blamed for indus
trial difficulty, it is the human element
that must be reckoned with. Machinery
by itself has neither emotions nor
opinions.
Africa is noted for birds of splendid
plumage. The position of Selassie might
be different if Ethiopia had secured an
ostrich feather monopoly.
When Europe prepares to finance an
other war, there is a note of discourage
ment in the slogan “See America first.”
Ohio is studying flood control without
any effort to provide against a flood of
oratory when occasion demands.
Shooting Stars.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
Abstruse Inquiry.
They tell us naught Is made in vain
And maybe this is so.
The heat, the cold, the wind, the rain,
Each has its use, we know.
But why are whiskers waving light
And why are mice and rats?
Why do some folks sing late at night
And why are funny hats?
And why are books nobody reads
And why are earthquake shocks.
And why are flaunting useless weeds
And why are fancy socks?
They tell us naught is made in vain.
We wonder with a sigh,
As we continue to complain
Why have we so much “Why"?
No Time to Cavil.
“When you have a purpose in mind,
do you wait to explain every detail to
your constituents?"
“No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I
try to work so fast that they won’t have
time to understand enough about it to
attempt any intelligent objection.”
The Discordant Ego.
“You like music, of course.”
“In moderation,” answered Miss Cay
enne. “My one objection is that it
affords an excuse to so many who like
any kind of a noise, so long as they
are making it themselves.”
Cross Purposes.
The things I mean to do, I find,
Are in oblivion left behind.
Perplexities still rise anew
From things I did not mean to do!
And yet inertia holds no charm.
Though action often brings alarm,
To struggle on, we must contrive
To prove that we are still alive.
Jud Tunkins says it’s a mistake to
take a man’s last dollar from him. If
you have any kind of a heart hell turn
around immediately and borrow five
from you.
“The value of gold,” said Hi Ho, the
sage of Chinatown, "is due much to an
cestral impression. If it were something
to be eaten it would have little more
value than the seasoning required to go
with it.”
Debate Renewed.
The frogs are calling once again.
It sounds just like the old refrain
That frogs have sung in days of yore—
Even for centuries before.
The big frog tells each little one
Another season has begun.
Thus they assemble every year
And try to make their problems clear.
“One reason I likes music,” said Uncle
Eben, "is dat it kin keep your ears con
tented wif words dat ain’ got no bother
•obm truncation la ’em." ^
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
Four months have rolled by and
nothing has been done, so far as is
Known, about reappointing Joseph B.
Eastman a member of the Interstate
Commerce Commission. His term ex
pired on December 31, and under the
law he is holding office until his suc
cessor is "qualified.” Many of Eastman’s
friends—and he has many—are puzzled
and somewhat exercised over the long
delay in his case. There is a fear that
there may be politics in it.
* * * *
Last January President Roosevelt pre
sented to Congress a plan for the re
organization of the Government de
partments—the executive departments
and independent agencies so-called. It
Included a proposal to merge the Inter
state Commerce Commission, the Fed
eral Trade Commission and other quasi
judicial bodies with the major depart
ments, headed by Cabinet officers. East
man, a few days later, made a speech in
Boston strongly opposing this plan so
far as it related to the present inde
pendent status of those commissions.
Since this speech, Eastman has not been
called to the White House, nor has
there been any move with regard to his
expired membership in the Interstate
Commerce Commission. When the Presi
dent was questioned about the appoint
ment—and also the appointment of a
successor to another member of the
Interstate Commerce Commission, Hugh
M. Tate, a Tennessee Republican—some
two months ago, the President replied
that he was glad to be reminded about
the matter. He has said nothing further
in regard to it, however, since that time.
Eastman's friends say they are com
pletely at a loss to Know why he has
not been reappointed. Among these
friends are supporters and opponents
of the President in Congress. There has
been little expectation that the President
would reappoint Commissioner Tate.
The hold-up in the appointments, there
fore, is believed to relate principally to
Eastman.
* * * *
Political independence—also independ
ence of politicians—has been an out- j
standing characteristic of Eastman
during his 18 years service as a member
of the Interstate Commerce Commission.
President Wilson appointed him a mem
ber of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission in 1918 as a “Republican." The
late Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of
Massachusetts protested the appoint
ment on the ground that Eastman had
never been identified with the Repub
lican party in that State, where East
man was living. Lodge pointed out that
Eastman had been appointed a member
of the State Public Utilities Commission
by David I. Walsh, now Senator and
formerly a Democratic Governor of the I
Bay State. When Senator Lodge wrote
to Eastman asking his political al
legiance, the latter replied that he was
an “independent.” President Wilson was
forced to shift Eastman to one of the
Democratic places on the commission,
and as such he has remained ever since.
The commission now consists of seven
Democrats, seven Republicans and East
man, fifteen in all.
* * * *
Eastman was successively reappointed
to the Interstate Commerce Commission
by Presidents Coolidge and Hoover.
It Is understood that President Hoover
desired to displace Eastman. The
late Senator James Couzens of Mich
igan, then chairman of the Senate
Interstate Commerce Committee, served
notice that no substitute for East
man would be confirmed by the Sen
ate If President Hoover should make
such a move. Hoover subsequently
agreed to reappoint Eastman as part of
a trade which he hoped would bring
about the confirmation of Judge John
J. Parker as an associate Justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States.
The plan did not work, however. Judge
Parker’s nomination was rejected, and
Eastman was confirmed.
When President Roosevelt entered the
White House in 1933, one of his first acts
was to establish a new office—Federal
co-ordinator of railroads. He named
Eastman for this job. He became the
President's chief adviser in all matters
relating to the railroads. During the
next two years Eastman made several
voluminous reports on the railroads,
which were transmitted to Congress by
the President without recommendation
for legislation. At the end of two years
the office of Federal co-ordinator of
railroads was quietly dropped, but until
recently Eastman was still regarded as
high In favor with President Roosevelt.
About January 1, Eastman was offered
the chairmanship of the newly created
Maritime Commission. Eastman de
clined. This, it is believed, may have
marked the first break in relations be
tween Eastman and the President.
* * * *
The independence of Eastman, which
has won him a great deal of respect, has
been shown In many ways. He has re
fused to take his cues from any of the
five Presidents who have occupied the
White House since he has been a mem
ber of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. Also he has frequently clashed
with chairmen of the Interstate Com
merce Committees of the House and
Senate with regard to railroad policy
and appointment of employes in the
Interstate Commerce Commission. He
has insisted that appointments to jobs
under the commission be made without
regard to politics. The result has been
that the commission is one of the least,
if not the least, politically controlled
agencies of the Government.
Commissioner Eastman has never been
particularly popular with the railroad
owners, and more than once he has
clashed with the railroad brotherhoods.
President Roosevelt’s failure to follow up
Eastman's recommendations in regard to
the railroads has led to the belief that
Eastman’s ideas were not in accord with
the President’s wishes.
His reoognized ability has kept East
man on the job as interstate commerce
commissioner for all these years—de
spite his independent attitude and his
non-political attitude. He has been re
garded, even by those with whom he has
clashed, as the ablest member of the
commission. He has done much to ad
vance the prestige and authority of that
body, possibly more than any other
member of the commission except the
late Franklin D. Lane, who was one of
the original members.
* * * *
A move bv the President now to dis
place Eastman as a member of the com
mission would undoubtedly result in a.
real storm. Any one appointed by the
President in his stead might have a
tough time being confirmed by the
Senate. In Hoover’s time, it was the
conservatives, influenced by the railroad
owners, who opposed the retention of
Eastman on the commission. But now
the boot is on the other leg. Eastman
is being supported by some of the
conservatives because of his known op
position to the President's plan to sub
ordinate the commission to executive
authority. That is not all—many of the
progressives in the Senate are strong
friends of Eastman and would resent
strongly any attempt to rsmovf him—
or rathar not to xoappatnt him. /gmatar
| THIS AND THAT |
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.
Where the wildbirds sleep In Winter
is doubtful, but where they slumber
in Spring and Summer is known.
Mystery may cover their sleeping
places during the inclement months;
the birdlover who feeds them in his
garden seldom believes they perch
nearby.
At this time of year, however, there
is no doubt at ali where they sleep. ,
Scores of them slumber every night
in nearby trees, in the shrubs by the
porch, in the hedges in front and back.
There can be no doubt—they may be
heard plainly as they wake up, one by
one sounding a clear note of Initial greet
ing to the day,
* * * *
These preliminary songs soon merge.
In a short time all the birds of the
neighborhood are singing, calling, shrill
ing into the cool air of the morning.
But those first songs, tentative, pre
liminary, plainly mark each bird to the
understanding mind and ear, tell where
it is, what it is, and give a beautiful
picture to the mind.
The insomniac, he or she who sleeps
lightly, may yet derive real benefit from
the malady, if interested in birds.
These first greetings, bird by bird, are
even more interesting than the great
morning chorus, which is worth any
one's waking up to hear.
To hear it, however, one must live in
the suburbs or country.
City birds do not, as a rule, “cut loose”
with such steam, power, verve, zest,
pleasure, happiness, gratitude.
All of these no doubt may be read
into the birds’ early morning chorus.
There simply are not so many in the
deep city, that is all; for the number,
they do the best they can; in comparison
with the suburban singers, however, they
make little noise.
Yes, noise it is, the morning chorus,
but music it is, too, especially if the
listener knows his birds.
Then, and then only, will he be able
to tell one song from another and assign
to each song the bird which utters it.
* * * *
This knowledge is not a matter of a
few days’ study.
Often it requires years to build up.
Even then there will be scores of songs
which, in the morning chorus, cannot
be assigned to the correct bird.
Those which are known will go a long
way to make the morning audition more
than a simple pleasure. It will be a
delight.
This is another case in which knowl
edge is power.
Since knowledge will not be absolute,
power cannot be absolute, either; but
who would want it to be, in such a
delightful thing?
Let absolute power be the dream of
fools.
The honest bird listener, with his little
knowledge, has the power of making his
wakefulness a happy wakefulness, a
pleasant interlude during which real
music is heard by him while millions
sleep in ignorance of it.
* * * *
It is in such ways that the Nature
student may be wise in his day and enjoy
much that the rest of the world calls
dross, or even does not know exists at
all.
The knowledge of the individual bird
songs is something built up through long
hours of pleasant Interest, in which the
music lover—for such he or she must
be—discovers that these are really won
derful singers.
He comes in time to know the strains
of the wood thrush from those of the
robin, and those of the cardinal, or red
bird, from the song of the white-throated
sparrow.
Especially at that magic early morn
ing time, before the real chorus has
started, as each creature looks out at the
new day, and finds it good, the listener
will be glad he knows some of the songs
because then he will be able to call up
before his mind’s eye the perfect pictures
of the birds, themselves, and see them
in all their beauty.
* * * *
Shortly he will not be able to do this,
for then the grand chorus of the day
will have begun. Each and every bird,
then, wtll be singing his loudest, intent
on outdoing all others of his own species
and those of other bird tribes.
Now from each resting place, claws
tightly but easily hooked around a
branch, a bird sings, each time just a
few cheeps, or notes, maybe an entire
strain, but not repeated.
Birds, as humans, resent waking up
too quickly.
They never leap out of bed, as young
of the human species are admonished
to do.
Leaping out of bed, just like that, is
not sensible and it is not natural.
Birds, pure children of Nature, never
do it.
They wake up little by little, glad to
be alive, welcoming the light but taking
their time about it.
Have they not all the time there is?
And have not we?
* * * *
Now the wood thrush sings for the
listener, its clear, cool notes rising high,
but not as high as they will aoon.
This fellow is in the spirea by the
porch; the audience hears him rustling
around there and is glad.
Glad for the bird and glad for himself,
that he is awake and certain of the place
where his favorite thru6h slept last
night.
Close at hand, his head down, his
speckled gray breast warm in the chill of
early morning.
This bird has a melody all its own,
true to thrush music but definitely
varied, with three triolets, the last a
double chime effect not heard in any
other thrush of the past seven years.
Quavers of white-throated sparrow
mingle with the short chirp of their
English cousins.
A bluejay hurls sudden defiance
through a sleeping but awakening
world.
The soft notes of a dove mingle just
once with the leas musical utterances
of a pair of pigeons.
Through the air cuts the chatter of
Jenny Wren, definitely decided for the
larger house on the locust, not the
smaller one on the arch. Johnny likes
the latter, but what has he to do with it?
There is quiet now. Soon the morning
chorus will begin in earnest, but the
listener has heard the best already; he
knows at last where the wood thrush
sleeps in his garden.
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE.
For all Its show of Independence this
Bpring, Congress gives proof that it is
by no means detached from administra
tion apron strings. The stalling of the
legislative engine, due mainly to block
ing of the right of way by the court
packing program, indicates that the
White House is at the controls and that
things move or stand still at its wish.
Even while the cat’s away—tarpon fish
ing in the Gulf of Mexico—the mice are
either unwilling or unable to play. It’s
now exactly four months since the third
New Deal Congress took office, but its
record of accomplishment is nothing to
brag about. Barring passage of the
neutrality and coal bills and advance
ment of routine departmental measures,
both branches have put in the lion's
share of their time talking and recess
ing. The Senate has indulged repeatedly
in three or four day midweek rest periods
or prolonged “week ends." The House,
too. has enjoyed frequent and protracted
sieges of relaxation. It is these condi
tions which wrecked all hopes of ending
the session before Midsummer. Predic
tions of September, rather than July,
adjournment are now common. The sit
uation, of course, would be suddenly al
tered should Mr. Roosevelt, for strategic
or other reasons, choose to sidetrack his
judiciary, reorganization, wages and
hours and anti-trust plans. If he de
mands “now" action on any or all of
these issues. Congress faces an indeter
minate sentence.
* * * *
Speculation is rife as to who will in
herit the $100,000 job left vacant by the
death of W. Forbes Morgan, who had
only recently been elected “czar” of the
liquor industry. The directors of the
Distilled Spirits Institute are busily can
vassing the situation, with a view to dis
covering somebody worthy of filling
Morgan's shoes. Because of his unique
contacts in high political places, it's not
easy to locate a suitable successor for the
late treasurer of the Democratic Na
tional Committee. Once upon a time
Jim Farley was mentioned as a possible
candidate, but the Postmaster General
is no longer considered in that connec
tion. Should Mayor Fiorello H. La
Guardia find himself outside of the
breastworks in New York City next Fall,
some authorities think he might qualify.
The trade makes few bones about the
necessity of girding its loins for the fight
which the drys are aggressively organ
izing to put Uncle Sam back on the water
wagon To lead a preventive campaign
was the main task imposed upon Mr.
Morgan. It's the work which his heir
will be supposed to shoulder. The Mor
gan estate, under a will filed for probate
in New York this week, was valued at
the surprisingly low figure of less than
$10,000.
One of Germany's famous scholars and
scientists, self-exiled because of his hos
tility to Hitlerism, Dr. Julius E. Lips, is
now lecturing at Howard University in
Washington. An eminent anthropolo
gist, Dr. Lips was invited to the United
Burton K. Wheeler of Montana, the
present chairman of the Senate Inter
state Commerce Commission, a progres
sive Democrat, can be counted,upon to
come to the support of Eastman, if it
becomes necessary.
The law provides that the Interstate
Commerce Commission shall have no
more than eight members of one political
party as members. Eastman, although
he classes himself as an independent,
has always heretofore been named to
the commission as a Democrat. It is
suggested now that the President might
name him as an ’‘independent” member
of the minority on the commission and
fill the place now occupied by Tate, a
Republican, with a Democrat.
I
States last year to teach at Columbia
aa a visiting professor. This Spring his
activities have been centered at Howard.
He is concluding there a series of lec
tures entitled “The White Man and
Western Civilization in the Art of Primi
tive Peoples, Especially in the Art of
African Negroes’’ Dr. Lips formerly
headed the department of anthropology
in the University of Cologne and also
was curator of the celebrated Museum
of Ethnology in the Rhenish cathedral
city. He has made field trips to West
and North Africa and Labrador.
* * * *
That militant school of American
naval thought which refuses to admit
that the airplane has sounded the death
knell of warships is Jubilant over the
belated dlscloeure that the Spanish in
surgent battleship Espana was. after all,
not sunk by an air bomb, but was de
stroyed by a mine. Sir Samuel Hoare,
first lord of the British admiralty, is sup
posed to have received official assurances
to this effect, and so Informed Parlia
ment. Some wiseacres suggest that Sir
Samuel may have had his tongue in his
cheek when he made an announcement
so pleasing to the anti-aircraft naval
group throughout the world. Once upon
a time Hoare was British air minister.
In those days he may have held views
about the effectiveness of airplanes
against battleships different from the
ones which now inspire him as first lord
of the admiralty.
* * * *
Prom Japan there will presently arrive
a delegation of 10 business leaders bent
upon exploring the possibilities of closer
Japanese-American trade relations.
They desire in particular a heart-to
heart confab with the United States
Tariff Commission. The vanguard of
the party, Ken Sato, chief of the inter
national section of the prominent news
papers Osaka Mainichl and Tokio
Nichi-Nlchl, has already reached New
York. Mr. Sato hopes to discuss with
Washington Government officials not
only commercial matters, but Japanese
immigration, now barred by the act of
1924. He explains that it isn't the quota
system, which would enable some 50
Japanese to enter the United States an
nually, which Nippon seeks. What the
island empire wants is to be placed on
a basis of equality with other nations, as
it considers exclusion an intolerable
humiliation of a proud race.
* * * *
Several or the Latin American na
tions whose dollar bonds are in default
in the United States are negotiating
for readjustments looking to resumption
of debt service and re-establishment of
their credit here. Countries which have
already entered upon or are about to
initiate such discussions include Cuba,
Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia.
• There’s no undue optimism that results
will be either prompt or substantial, but
Latin American trade improvement, in
some cases due to reciprocal tariff agree
ments with this country, is progressing
on a scale that holds out fair prospects
of more or less considerable payments on
obligations long in arrears. Brazil is ex
pected later in the year to join the re
sumptionists. No signs of such action are
forthcoming from Uruguay, Chile or Peru.
Argentina set a proud example, even
throughout the depression, by maintain
ing payments on external debt. Her
credit in London and New York is cor
respondingly high. Various Latin re
publics desire renewed access to Ameri
can dollars, but they promptly discover
that adjustment of existing debts is a
prerequisite.
* * * *
Louis J. Alber, well-known lecturer
and concert impresario. Ls in Washing
ton on behalf of the Great Lakes Ex
position, which is about to hold forth
tee a second season at Cleveland. As a
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASK1H.
A reader can get the answer to any \
Question of fact by writing The Evening
Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. .
Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. I
Please inclose stamp for reply.
- i
Q. Did the death rate for measles,
whooping cough and diphtheria tncreasa
or decrease last year?—G. M.
A. In 1936 the death rate decreased fof
measles, whooping cough, diphtheria,
scarlet fever, typhoid, tuberculosis,
chronic nephritis and puerperal condi
tions. |
Q. How many page boys are there in j
the United States Senate?—R. P. R. '
A. There are twenty-one pages. j
Q Did the men who started to roller
skate from coast to coast complete the
trip?—W. N.
A. Norman Skelly and John Shefuga
made the trip last Fall. They left Boston
October 2 and reached Los Angeles De
cember 4. They skated and walked 55
days and rested nine days. They cov
ered a distance of 4,075 miles.
Q. Do base ball or foot ball player*
receive more injuries?—E. H.
A. Base ball players receive more minor
injuries, but fewer permanent Injuries
and fatalities.
Q. What newspaper executive has had
the longest continuous service with the
same publishing concern?—H. A.
A. G. B. Dealey, publisher of the
Dallas (Tex.) Morning News, is probably
the dean. He has seen sixty-three years
of continuous service with the same pub
lishing institution, having started as
office boy with the News on October 12,
1874. He is now the head When he
began his long career, Ulysses S. Grant
w'as President of the United States and
Dallas had only about 10,000 inhabitants.
Q. Does a man have to be 5 feet 6
inches in height to enlist in the Marine
Corps?—J. W.
A. The regulation minimum height has
been lowered from 5 feet 6 Inches to 5
feet 4 inches.
Q. Is the sale of black bass prohibited
in the United States?—C. L. W.
A. They cannot be sold at any time
regardless of where taken in 38 States,
the District of Columbia, and the three
largest cities in the State of Maryland.
In Colorado, Missouri. New Mexico,
South Dakota. Utah and Wyoming they
may be sold if taken outside of the State
and brought in. In the remaining four
States, South Carolina. Tennessee,
Georgia and Maryland, they may be
sold at certain times or from certain
waters.
Q. Which is the oldest church in
London?—C. S.
A. Except the chapel in the Tower of
London, the Church of St. Bartholomew
the Great is the oldest. It was built
early in the twelfth century.
Q. How should “'paradi" be used as a
moth preventive?—B S. T.
A. Paradichlorobenzene crystals form
a gas that is heavier than air, so must
be placed on top of the articles to be
fumigated. Pack the clothing in the
trunk, then put about one-fourth pound
of paradichlorobenzene on top of the
clothing. The crystals can be scattered
about if desired. The easiest way is to
tie the crystals in a piece of old muslin,
but don’t tie the bag too tightly. When
the supply in the bag gets low, put in
some more crystals.
Q Does Italy have a Hollywood?
—W. R. B.
A. Italy has invested millions in the
construction of a movie center called
Citta del Cinema, a few miles from
Rome. It is already called the Italian
Hollywood and is modeled after the movie
capital. The new center occupies 2.000 -
000 square feet and is completely equip
ped for picture production with nine
stages, a score of office buildings and six
projection rooms. It has its own electric
power plant, water and telephone sys
tems.
Q. Has Mrs. J. Borden Harriman. the
new Minister to Norway, a daughter?
—F. M. R.
A. Mrs. Harriman has one daughter,
Mrs. Harriman Russell, who writes
scenarios in Hollywood under the name
of Ethel Borden.
Q. When is the Iris Festival in Nash
ville, Tenn.?—W. M.
A. The city will hold its fifth annual
Iris Festival from May 9 to 15 under the
auspices of the Nashville Iris Association.
Q. When should “farther” be used and
when “further”?—H. E. G.
A. Farther is used to express physical
distance; further, mental progression.
Q. Who were the ten outstanding wom
en selected by the Women's National
Press Club of Washington. D. c.?—W. H.
A. The list is as follows: Mrs. Evalyn
Walsh McLean, author of “Father Struck
it Rich”; Mrs. McCook Knox, chairman
of the Portrait Committee of the United
States Sesquicentennial Commission;
Dorothy Kilgallen, Hearst Service globe
circler; Mrs. August Belmont, philan
thropist; Cornelia Otis Skinner, monolo
gist; Antonio Brico, director of the New
York Women’s Symphony Orchestra.
Margaret Bourke-White, photographer;
Dorothy Thompson, writer; Ruth Nichols,
aviatrix, and Marcia Davenport, author.
Q. Where is Su-lin, the giant panda
captured by Mrs, W. H. Harkness, Jr ?
—J. W.
A. The animal is in the Brookfield Zoo,
Chicago.
A Rhyme at Twilight
By
Gertrude Brooke Hamilton.
A Woman’s Eyes.
Were there a soul behind the sklea
They would remind me of your eyes;
So lucid yet so fathomless
All they may hide I can but guess . . .
But, oh, how splendidly they bless 1
Beautiful eyes, and unafraid.
Pure as the gaze of a young maid,
Tenderness of the newly wed,
Maternal in unselfish dread . . .
The soul behind them still unread I
result of his missionary efforts. Con
gress has again provided for suitable
Federal Government participation in the
show. Mr. Alber, an early New Dealer
in N. R. A. and F. H. A. work, is organ
izing and managing the exposition's
theme exhibit, which has been chris
tened “The Making of a Nation.” It
will display in graphic fashion just what
causes Uncle Sam to tick, and why. The
Departments of Interior. Agriculture and
Commerce have each named a repre
sentative to co-operate in making the
exhibit one of the most informative
revelations of Federal activities ever put
together.
4 (Coprrlsht. 1037.)
I